The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1887-09-26
ThE @ailN 8nllettn.
MONDAY. SEPT. 90, 1887.
HAWAIIAN RAW SUGARS.

HAWAIIAN RAW SUGARS.
Hawaiian raw sugars are begin
ming to play some part in the sup
plies for the New York market. The
history Of Hawaiian sugars, the
enactment of the reciprocity treaty
and the continued opposition there
to, with the official reports to Con-
gress in this connection, are matters
Of history that need no repetition.
The treaty has given great impetus
to the sugar industry on the Ha-
waiian Islands. Before it went into
effect the production amounted only
to 10000 or 10000 tons annually,
and it was generally believed that the
total capacity of the islands could
not exceed $4,000 or 10000 tons.
Results have substantially proven
that these estimates Of supply were
incorrect. The fact that the duty
on the Hawaiian raw sugars was re-
moved served to stimulate the pro-
duction. Large blocks of land than
it had formerly been thought would
not pay for the cost of clearing and
cultivating were planted to sugar
cane. This has been continued from
year to year, and even now there
are new plantations beng started,
and there are other areas yet I'M
cultivated that are available for cane
culture.
The Hawaiian Islands are par
ticularly well adapted for this bust
ness. The climate and soil are favor
able, and the quality of the sugar Of
the best. In fact, the quality of it has
been the cause of complaint and of
special inquiry, as it was supposed
TO exceed the standard fixed by
which the importations are free of
duty. Large amounts of capital
have been invested in island planta-
tons in the erection of mills and
irrigation, etc. The growth of the
business naturally stimulated our
trade, but our exports have not
kept pace with the imports, the limit
of the former being reached some
years ago, while there is yet no APP
parent limit to the production. 1t
is true that, as the trade grew,
there has been steady commercial
connection, and that our shipyards
have benefited through the construc-
ton of steamers and sailing vessels
built especially for the trade: but,
on the other hand, and more es-
| pecially this year, large quantity
of the carrying trade has been done
in English bottoms, which went to
the islands with cargoes of foreign
manufactures, and have since been
regularly engaged in running be-
tween Honolulu and San Francisco.
The largest sugar crop ever pro-
duced on the islands was that of
1886, when the yield amounted to
10000 tons. For this year it is
claimed that the crop will fall short
of that amount, and will not ex-
coed $4,000 tons. But as the esti-
mates are generally made under the
mark, it is safe to figure on 100000
tons as the probable total receipts
of island sugars during 1887. The
bulk Of the crop has already come
forward, but receipts will continue
steadily for two or even three
months longer. When the supplies
from this source were half of their
present quantity a market could be
readily found ON the Pacific Coast
for the whole crop. But the yield
has increased to much greater ex-
tent than has the demand on the
Pacific. Therefore it became neces-
sary to extend the market, and this
has been done with considerable
effect, and much more so than is
generally known. AS the Western
refneries gradually extend their
business East, the business of our
New York refneries is proportion
ately diminished. And as the San
Francisco refneries pay no duty on
their sugars they are able to enter
into competition with the New York
refners about half way across the
continent, the length of their tether
being only limited by the matter of
freight rates.
The question of overland freight
rates is also somewhat obliterated
by new departure that has been
made by the American Refinery, of
San Francisco. They have taken to
chartering and loading vessels with
sugar to make the voyage to NeA
York via Cape Horn, and thus dump
their surplus Hawaiian stocks in the
New York market in competition
with sugars upon which our refiners
have to pay duties. The importa-
tions at San Francisco are of such
an extent that they now leave a sur
plus of about fifty thousand tons
annually, for which q market is
found at the cost of New York re-
finers. The California people now
extend their trade to all points on
the Missouri River where they are
enabled to do o profitable business.
Rut avon this d0ne unt enable them